WEDNESDAY: Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that there's a sense that Arroyo could be signed by the end of the Winter Meetings, and the expectation is that he will land a deal in the three-year, $36MM range. The Twins, Reds and a few others remain in the mix for Arroyo, he adds.
3:28pm: Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review hears that the Pirates are probably out on Arroyo (Twitter link).
2:46pm: GM Walt Jocketty told reporters, including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer, that he met with Arroyo's agent, Terry Bross, around 2:00pm today (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 1:40pm: Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN hears the Mets and Reds are also making pushes for Arroyo (Twitter link). The Twins have yet to make a formal offer, he adds.
MONDAY: The Twins are making a pushing for Bronson Arroyo, and talks between the two sides are gaining momentum, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Despite already having added Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes to their 2014 rotation, the Twins don't appear to be content with their starting five. They've been connected to Arroyo on and off throughout the offseason to date, with a guaranteed third year seen as a potential sticking point. Arroyo is also said to be of interest to the Pirates and the Phillies, as the right-hander himself recently told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon (Twitter link).
Arroyo, who will be 37 in February, posted a 3.79 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 1.5 BB/9 and a 44.4 percent ground-ball rate in 202 innings this past season. With the exception of a 199-inning campaign in 2011, he has pitched at least 200 innings each season dating back to 2005. It's worth noting that former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky is currently a special assistant to Twins GM Terry Ryan.
I wasn’t opposed to a Pirates/Arroyo reunion, but the asking price was probably too high.
Three years? Wow, count the Mets out, I guess. Guess it’s down to just the Reds and the Pirates, though I can’t imagine either of them going for that, either.
I think the Twins could be the winners of the offseason if they sign him.
I wouldn’t go that far, but they have certainly improved their rotation.
I’m guessing that the Mets are out on him.
Hate to burst your bubble but Meyer is not going to be the “ace” by “mid-season” no way no how that happens. If he was Steven Strasburg maybe but he is not.
Ace as in ace of the staff/best pitcher on the staff. Not ace as in Justin Verlander etc. There’s a difference.
It will not happen that quickly. Meyer will not get called up by Mid season unless he absolutely destroys AAA pitching. Remember too that he has only pitched 13 games in AA New Britain. Very small sample size.
It may not. You’re taking everything I say as if I am saying it as a guarantee. In my first post mentioning Meyer I said “mid-season or 2015 for Meyer” Or 2015 was in there the entire time.
In the past, the Twins have pushed players who have done well in the AFL (Meyer did). In the past, the Twins have skipped players over AAA (with bad results recently-Hicks, good results other times-Hrbek and others). Hicks has never been a stud prospect. He isn’t on the level of a prospect where skipping should have been considered. Buxton, sure…Hicks, no. Meyer is definitely a level above Hicks in terms talent, so skipping isn’t too crazy of a thought.
Meyer was at a little over 100 innings last year (AFL included). I could see him being back in AA and pitching 5 or so games and then being promoted to AAA or longer in AA and promoted to MLB later.
It’s a possibility that he could be up mid-season, not a guarantee. It would surprise me if he wasn’t up after the all star game or in August, barring injury. His innings are likely to be limited as well, so that will play into it too.
I like the enthusiasm but some how i doubt it.
I like the enthusiasm but some how i doubt it.
Well from that list Hernandez, Hendriks and Walters are not coming back so the list has shrunk considerably.
Yes, I know, my point was that the 2013 staff that had those guys in it was laughable. 2014 obviously does not have those guys in it, meaning it’s not laughable or at least not AS laughable.
3/36 is exactly what I’m worried about. Clogging up the rotation with an old guy for three years would be a mistake. Arroyo would be an improvement, yes (at least innings wise), but the years and money are ridiculous.
Is he worth 26 million dollars more than Correia? No way. 1/8 or 2/16 max. I don’t even think 2 years would be good, but I’d be willing to accept it at the price I listed.
Again, it’s way too early to be making a “strong push” for an Arroyo or a Pelfrey or anyone of that caliber (meaning not top tier pitchers). There aren’t a ton of teams banging down the doors to get these guys. Wait it out and see if their price goes down. If it doesn’t oh well, hopefully they join another team. If it does, then hopefully you get him…but still not a big deal if you don’t.
Pretty much agree with that roster except Bartlett and Escobar will back up the infield. I’m also of the opinion that an outfield comprised of Masty, Hicks, Presley and Arcia will do just fine defensively. It’s the offensive output that i’m worried about.
I think the Twins should shift Willingham to full time DH and backup OF. He’s old, slow and unlikely to stick around beyond 2014. Doumit is also in a similar position. He’s not a part of the long term plans beyond 2014.
Please please Reds give him 3/36. Max out that payroll and waste resources. Then move Chapman to rotation long enough for him to blowout his arm.
I just don’t understand why people bash arroyo. He has been rock solid for half a decade and last year he simply never had a bad start. If your goal is to give your team a chance to win, arroyo does exactly that.
Which is a huge upgrade for the Twins rotation. Yes, we don’t have a #1 guy who is going to consistently go out and win you games. But we do have a bunch of guys who will occasionally win you a ballgame, occasionally lose you a ballgame, and largely just give you a chance to win. Now if our offense can produce, we’ll probably flirt with .500, with a chance to make the playoffs if our kids take a big leap.
My thoughts are, adding Arroyo would be an upgrade and would be nice. The part that is bad is the years and contract. He’s not worth either of those rumored numbers.
Correia was the Twins best pitcher last year and Arroyo is slightly better than him. The only difference is Arroyo has a track record of 200 innings, while Correia finally just hit 185. If Correia could hit 185+ innings every year and the same numbers as last year, would you give Correia a Phil Hughes contract or more? I wouldn’t and he’s younger than Arroyo, so there’s no way I’d want the Twins to pay even more than that on a much older guy.